Smartphones are becoming the predominant link between people and information. Most current smartphones or other mobile devices provide a capability to use mobile software applications (apps). A mobile software application (app) can embody a defined set of functionality and can be installed and executed on a mobile device, such as a smartphone, a tablet device, laptop computer, a digital camera, or other form of mobile computing, imaging, or communications device. Conventional mobile apps are available that focus on particular applications or functionality sets. Additionally, most standard mobile phones and other mobile devices have an audio/microphone connector or audio jack into which a headset, earbuds, or other peripheral device connector can be plugged. Most standard headsets or earbud accessories also include a microphone so the user can both hear audio from the phone and speak into the phone via the headset or earbud accessory. A plug connected to the headsets, earbuds, or other peripheral device can include separate conductive elements to transfer electrical signals corresponding to the left ear audio, right ear audio, microphone audio, and ground. The plug is compatible with the mobile device audio jack. The standard headsets or earbud accessories are configured to be placed over or attached to the ear(s) of a person, and include one or more speakers and a microphone. The headset may also include an arm that is attached to a housing that supports the microphone. The arm may be movable between a stored position and an extended, operative position. The headset, earbuds, the arm, and/or other types of peripheral devices may include one or more physiological or biometric sensors, environmental sensors, and/or other types of data-producing elements.
Computing devices, communication devices, imaging devices, electronic devices, accessories, or other types of peripheral devices designed to be worn or attached to a user (denoted as wearables or wearable devices) and the associated user experience are also becoming very popular. Mobile phone headsets and earbud accessories are examples of such wearables. Because wearable devices are typically worn by or attached to the user all or most of the time, it is important that wearables serve as a helpful tool aiding the user when needed, and not become an annoying distraction when the user is trying to focus on other things.
One form of a wearable device is a heart rate (HR) monitor. Existing heart rate monitoring solutions in the market are mostly electrocardiogram (ECG) based chest straps that transmit data to a watch that has a display. An electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) is a test that determines heart rate based on the electrical activity of the heart. Other types of conventional HR monitors are also ECG based, but only have a watch on one hand and the user needs to pause to measure HR by touching it with the other hand. A Valencell™ brand product has a PPG (photoplethysmography) based solution for HR monitoring in earphones. PPG is an optical sensing technique that allows measurement of blood pulsation from the skin surface. The Valencell™ brand product has a sensor in the earbud and a digital signal processor (DSP) and Bluetooth™ radio in a medallion or other separate component connected to the earbuds. The user can clip the separate medallion on their clothes or wear the separate component. HR data is wirelessly transmitted periodically from the medallion or other separate component to an app in a mobile phone. Other biometric data like calories, VO2 (oxygen consumption), etc. can also be calculated by the app in the mobile phone. However, for wearable devices and other peripheral devices, it is very important to be able to ascertain the user's environment and context. Although existing systems gather some forms of biometric data, this data is not used to determine a user's environment and context nor used to make decisions based on a user's dynamically determined context.